language A macro language with high level features including strings and lists, developed by A.P. Ershov at Novosibirsk in 1967. EPSILON was used to implement ALGOL 68 on the M-220. ["Application of the Machine-Oriented Language Epsilon to Software Development", I.V. Pottosin et al, in Machine Oriented Higher Level Languages, W. van der Poel, N-H 1974, pp. 417-434]. [Jargon File] (1995-05-10)

1. The fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. 2. (From the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos) A very small, insignificant, or negligible quantity of something. The use of epsilon is from the epsilon-delta method of proof in differential calculus. (2001-07-06)